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24 Feb 2012

My Fitness Diary (9)

Well my dears, I finally am ready to bust out the pictures in my actual work out gear. So here it is, my current state of affairs:

Without meaning to sound self-congratulatory, I do feel extremely happy and proud of myself. I feel amazing and it's because I know I'm healthy, and in the best shape I've probably ever been in my life. I never thought that I would ever be able to post pictures like the ones above, or even be able to wear spandex someday without feeling like a liverwurst. Now the only way is UP! Stronger, fitter, faster. Not rail thin, not starving myself, not weak and frail - and I can't wait!

This isn't the end of the road for me, no way. I am liking my workout and fitness routine way too much to quit now. It's been such lovely spring-like weather outside, I'm actually itching to buy some new workout clothes and start running again, now that all the snow has melted away. I want to switch things up and keep it interesting.

It's been one hell of year for me and I have never felt more full of life and energy. It's totally been worth every blood, sweat and tears - thankfully there wasn't too much of that along the way.

I have some very infomative videos about my current weight loss and fitness status, and the second one is another Food Diary which I filmed over the course of several weeks, mainly documenting my dinners and lunches that I eat on an everyday basis. Loads and loads of vegetables, lean proteins, reduced carbs and sweets. I do like to sneak in the odd sweet treat and carb-rich meal now and then, but it's all in moderation. Definitely watch these videos to get super motivated yourself!

My new Food Diary video:

My slightly older Food Diary video:

FAQ:

How often do you work out and what do you do?

I work about between 4-5 times per week on average, but I've even managed to work out 6 times a week sometimes. But 4-5 times is about the norm for me, usually between 45-60 minutes. Over the winter I've been doing Beachbody's Insanity DVDs and they've worked great for me. It's a combination of high intensity interval training, cardio, strength and resistance all rolled into one. I also bought a chin-up bar to work more on my upper body strength, and that is my new challenge.

Do you recommend Insanity for beginners?

For complete beginners (aka couch potatoes and haven't exercised in ages) - no. Probably not. It's a really intense work out. It's probably also not suited for anyone with knee or back injuries as it's quite high impact. This can be reduced greatly by modifying moves and wearing good cushioning sneakers. I started Insanity when I was already used to working out regularly, but not quite as much. If you already do some regular exercise and your endurance is not too bad, then it's great if you want to step things up a notch. Don't worry if you can't do the entire workouts and keep up at the beginning - try your best, forget the rest. It will come. Even I can't keep up with every single move all the time until the end yet!

What do you recommend for beginners?

Keep it simple. Start with running, speed walking, swimming laps at your local pool, taking your dog for a brisk long walk, biking, etc. Work your way up slowly, don't jump in at the deep end! I started out with an elliptical home trainer in front of my TV, and worked up my endurance. Don't worry if you suck at the beginning and can't last for long - we've all been there. Your body will adjust with time and you will get fitter!

How do you find time to work out?

I make it my priority. How do you find time to watch your favorite TV shows, play video games, or go shopping? If something is important enough for you, you will make time for it. It's mind over matter. If you have kids, ask your partner, family or friends to watch them while you hit the gym. If they are old enough, involve them in your activity.

I really don't like vegetables / I don't know how to cook healthy meals.

Sorry, I can't help you there much. I've always liked vegetables (even when I was overweight) and I just am a creative cook. I love variety and there's not much I won't try. If that's not you, I would recommend to hit up a big book store and spend an afternoon browsing through their cook book section. There are so many great cookbooks out there, that focus on CLEAN eating - whole, simple foods, no prepared crap. I followed a low carb plan, that's what works for me. Once you get better at cooking, you might find you really enjoy eating vegetables. Personally, I hate boiled broccoli as well, there's nothing more tasteless.

33 comments:

You're soo pretty!! One question, how do you manage to keep you hair so beautiful even working out 5 times a week? After I started working out my hair is sooo dry for washing it everyday.... Keep bringing it, your transformation is AMAZING!

Omgeee!!! You make me wanna try this dvd set so badly! I'm getting back into my work outs AGAIN after a few more agains! Not easy since I kept starting and stopping but I'll get through it I know that! I use Jillian Michaels though! She's tough! You seem to really like insanity so I definitely wanna try it!

Looking good hun! Keep at it! I hurt my back in a car accident back in 2002 and can't work out like that. Wish I could because I used to be quite fit when I was your age. Boiled broccoli?!?! No wonder you don't like it. Try steaming it babe. It's sooo good!!! <3

Hey Julia,I watched some of your older videos and I noted that you refer to a particular book about Low Carb eating. That book was in German, yes? Can you recommend any similar books in english?Thanks and sharing your journey with us!

I want to say Thank You for keeping us up to date. You always have a video up, when I start losing motivation in my own journey to a healthy lifestyle and this is the kind of videos I need to get myself in gear, I would love to able to rock an active wear like that and not feel self conscious soon. Thanks again, I hope you continue to make videos like this one.

Congrats for your weightloss and thanks for sharing with us.You look so awesome and toned!I exercise three times a week, and I've lost a lot of weight just like you, but I can't get rid of the extra kilos that come with cellulite... Did you have cellulite too?

Good for you Julia, you look amazing, buff and svelte. You are an inspiration to me (stuck in a plateau, needing more effort in my workouts/eating)I made you my fitness log logo! Maybe I could reward myself with Fyrinnae instead of wine..

Hey Julia, first of all let me congratulate you on your weight loss! Having fought with weight issues in the past I can very well relate to the joys of being healthy and fit. After I lost weight I had a terrible back and shoulder posture, as if I was used to having my shoulders down, back curved trying to hide from the world. So I took dancing and Yoga lessons, which relly helped me with it. Dancing lessons were another type of exercise which were excellent to make me get used to my new body, how to mev with it, how to stand still. And Yoga is just amazing for your body and soul. I'm telling you this because when you're sitting down on your videos you can't really tell, but when you stand up, you can see you're still getting used to the idea of having this slim figure. So give it a try! It's totally worth it. Ok sorry for the long message, greetings from a big fan!!

What you did is so awesome! Congrats!I startet losing weight 2 weeks ago and it works pretty well, I changed my eating habits and started doing Zumba. I don't feel like it's going too fast, but people already recognize that my face looks different than before. That definitely cheers me up!And I love your videos, you inspire and encourage me so much!Wishing you all the best.

I've seen your food videos on YouTube (which is kind of Paleo eating style). However I've noticed you grill a lot of your meat....on a Barbecue I assume? If so,do you have a charcoal or gas one and do you also grill in the winter? I was also wondering if one can achieve the same texture&moisture using a grillpan?

Also what do you do as a workout 5days a week? something like bodyrock.tv?

Hi, I have also followed a similar routine (working out 5 times a week and clean diet) and have gotten really great results (25 pounds lost!), but I have a question about how you keep your hair in such good form! I have to wash my hair every day which is a problem because I start losing a lot...and I sweat A LOT during workouts so I don't think dry shampoos are a good alternative.

You are so inspiring! I found your blog when I looked for some make up inspiration and then I saw this video's title so I watched it. What you did is amazing! So thank you, I don't waste any time, I'm going to work out now! :)

You are so inspiring! I found your blog when I looked for some make up inspiration and then I saw this video's title so I watched it. What you did is amazing! So thank you, I don't waste any time, I'm going to work out now! :)

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